1) Welcome new members to the working group (Tara)
2) Housekeeping
3) Review action items from June 25th (All)
4) Review Fiscal Sponsor prospects Home and Community and New Roads
5) Review Grant List (Levi and Tara)
7) Review Sponsor Ideas (Tara)
8) Schedule next pop-up event
9) Decide on next meeting date/time/location
Attendees
Name
Super Power
Tara Brown
ProjectManagement
Networking/Outreach / Parent
Levi Simons
Grant Writing / Runs a student research lab
Sharon Lee (new)
Culture Trends/Coworking space in Atwater
Teresa Gonczy
Brick & Mortar Business / Education
Sarah Nichols
Classroom Management / Using Spaces /Future Mom
Luz Rivas
Director, Iridescent
Joseph Chiu
Toymaker/Parent
Cassy Clarke
Teacher / Parent
Michael Wilson
Tech Designer at Natural History Museum
Michelle Turner
Eco friendly Mama
Sabrina Williams
Home and Community / Parent
New Members
Cassy Clarke, Michael Wilson and Sabrina Williams joined us. Welcome!
Housekeeping
Cassy put us in touch with documentary filmmakers and they will be filming at the Scratch event on July 28th.
Fiscal Sponsorship
Joe from New Roads has to answer our questions by July 25th with a letter of intent
July 26th we'll send out info on what they provide and make a decision by July 31st
NEW ROADS
Contact - Joe Wise
-0%
Don't need public acknowledgement
Won't put name on lease
Don't care about curriculum
Insurance - they are researching
Screening (Live TB test)
- someone in space needs to be present
what's in it for them? Outreach
HOME AND COMMUNITY
Contact: Sabrina
4, 6, 7% (sliding scale)
4% taken from donations
One year contract
Manage of Documents (1-90 forms annually)
Financial tracking
Paypal and Amazon
Anti-discrimination platforms
501c3 Paperwork
Sabrina has applied for over 30 nonprofits and the outset is 6 months to process.
She charges $250 + government fees.
Tara is willing to put money towards this...anyone else? The money will count against membership fees.
Partner Locations
LA TRADE TECH (community college)
Contact: Levi
Between Staples Center and USC
Levi spoke to the VP and we might be able to use their space
After school during week / weekends
We can use their equipment
Might be able to utilize some of their instructors
Rent?
What about young kids
Review Grant List
Knight Foundation
- almost done. Focus is on Citizen Science
Cognizant
- will work on next
USC UNO (University Neighborhood Outreach)
Need a staff partner + community person to apply
Look at due dates (might be Feb)
Review Sponsor Ideas
Before we approach sponsors:
Need Budget trimmed down
- Michelle and Teresa
Need Business Plan
- Michelle and Teresa
Scheduled Pop Up Events
At each event we need a donation jar
We need to always mention LA Makerspace at each event
July 28th - Scratch class for 4-11 year olds
Aug. 11th - Quin is teaching a Beginners Arduino Class
Potential Pop Up Events
3D Unity class with USC Cinema
Scratch with Ricarose (August)
Ice Cream Social (make ice cream using liquid nitrogen and a container made of plastic origami) -- Levi will talk to his wife about leading this event
Fire….
eTextiles
Woodworking Bus (Joe will look into)
Next Meeting
July 31st, 6:30pm at Natural History Museum
Action Items
Item
Owner
Due
Sabrina Williams can apply for the 501c3 for $250 + government fees
Tara
July 31st.
Choose a Fiscal Sponsor
Tara and Levi
July 26th
Finish the Knight Foundation application
Levi and Tara
July 31st
Start the Cognizant app
Levi and Tara
Aug 15th
Look into USC UNO grant. Not due til Feb
Levi and Tara
Draft a Business Plan using PowerPoint
Michelle and Teresa
July 31st
Pair down the budget
Michelle and Teresa
July 31st
We need a donation jar at our events.
?
July 28th
We need to schedule a big open meeting like the first one at Crashspace
Tara
?
Schedule Field Trip to WAL in Pasadena
Joe Chiu
Aug.
Look into Woodworking Bus and where they do classes
Joe Chiu
Aug.
Schedule ice cream social
Tara and Levi
Aug.
Update the Website
Cassy Clarke
Ongoing
MONDAY, JUNE 25TH, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
1) Welcome new members to the working group (Tara)
2) Housekeeping
- Review LA Hack Jam
- Website (LAMakerspace.com)
3) Review action items from June 11th (All)
4) Review Home and Community docs for 501(c)(3) filing and Fiscal Sponsorship
5) Review Revised Budget (Michelle and Teresa)
6) Review Grant List (Levi and Gabrielle)
7) Review Sponsor Ideas (Tara)
8) Schedule next pop-up event (Arduino?)
9) Decide on next meeting date/time/location
Attendees
Name
Super Power
Tara Brown
ProjectManagement
Networking/Outreach / Parent
Levi Simons
Grant Writing / Runs a student research lab
Sharon Lee (new)
Culture Trends/Coworking space in Atwater
Teresa Gonczy
Brick & Mortar Business / Education
Sarah Nichols
Classroom Management / Using Spaces /Future Mom
Luz Rivas
Director, Iridescent
Joseph (New)
Toymaker/Parent
Kent Nichols
Blip.tv
New Members
Sharon Lee (@culturebrain) joined us. Welcome Sharon!
Housekeeping
The LA Youth Hack Jam was Kidtacular!! Blog Post here.
The website is up but needs some love. Anyone? lamakerspace.com
MONDAY, JUNE 11TH, 6:30PM-8:30pm
Agenda
1) Welcome new members to the working group (Tara)
2) Review Commercial Real Estate options
3) Housekeeping
- Cognizant Call
- Youth Hack Jam on June 23rd
- Crashspace demo day
4) Review action items from May 30th (All)
5) Review Budget (Michelle and Teresa)
6) Decide on next meeting date/time/location
Attendees
Name
Super Power
Tara Brown
ProjectManagement
Networking/Outreach / Parent
Levi Simons
Grant Writing / Runs a student research lab
George (new)
Real Estate Agent
Teresa Gonczy
Brick & Mortar Business / Education
Sarah Nichols
Classroom Management / Using Spaces /Future Mom
Michelle
Eco Friendly Mama
Joseph (New)
Toymaker/Parent
Real Estate
George Gleason, Director, LA Realty Partners
George did a review of the DTLA area and we are supposed to review the options and give him feedback
What are the regulations around having a space for kids, ADA Compliant. Levi.
Fire Code regulations: 52 sq ft/person for active lab space?? We are not officially a school. Levi can find out info from Wildwood Facilities
We might fall under light manufacturing
We are also interested in churches and schools and libraries and car lots.
One to three year minimum lease. It's a tenants market, there is a huge surplus of warehouse space in DT so we can probably get away with a year.
$4k including insurance and rent for 2000 sq ft seems reasonable.
Cognizant
Levi and Tara had a call with Kathryn in charge of EDU at Cognizant
They give out $20-25k for programming and equipment
They may get more money to give out this year or for sure Jan 2013
They sent docs on applying for grant
Tara to give to Levi and Gabrielle
501(c)(3) Umbrella
Potential:
Wildwood
Home and Community - 4-6%
Budget
Michelle and Theresa went over the budget. It is very comprehensive (Nice work!)
We discussed scoping it down to determine what's needed to open the doors and start small with one or two programming events and public open times.
Action Items
Item
Owner
Due
Start working on the 501(c)(3) paperwork. Ask Theron for their docs
1) Welcome new members to the working group
2) Housekeeping (Jeff Sturges, Central Library, Culver City Library, Forbes)
3) Review action items from first meeting (http://peerspace.wikispaces.com/)
Data on DTLA Kid Community (Luz and Candice)
Wiki for sharing info -- Invite those that haven't joined (Levi/Tara)
Info on 501c3 (Tara/Teresa)
Business Model Canvas Draft (Kent/Tara)
Michelle: I'd love to connect w community leaders in the proposed/potential areas to determine if we'd be a good fit and viable. Also interested in a subgroup biz ops pow wow to solidify mission, costs, and funding. Finally, would like a brief on what "competitors" or inspiring similar businesses are doing right and wrong.
4) Discuss funding ideas and decide on first event
Action Items
Item
Owner
Due
Start working on the 501(c)(3) paperwork. Ask Theron for their docs
Find out the process of using an umbrella organization
Teresa
June 11
Reach out to other 501c3s to ask if we can use them
- NewBlankets (Levi)
- Wildwood (Levi)
- New Roads (Levi)
- CommunityPartners.org -10% incl. accounting, insurance, coaching (Levi)
Andy and Joseph joined the meetup. Andy has his PhD in Cognitive Science and is planning to be a SAHD in Dec. Jeff is a SW Engineer at Idealab and is interested in opening a space in Pasadena.
Housekeeping
Central Library: Tara met with Eva Mitnick, Acting Manager of Youth Services at the Central Library on Tues., May 29th. She works with Candice, a Teen Librarian that attended Working Group Mtg #1. They don't have a permanent space available but they are interested in pop-up events. Tara and Eva will continue the conversation. (Eva & I spoke later & discussed putting together a library taskforce to work on this project on the library's end. - Candice)
Jeff Sturges, Mt Elliott Makerspace in Detroit: Jeff has been involved with hackerspaces for a longtime and is noted in the maker community for his makerspace in Detroit. Tara and Jeff chatted about the ideas for the LA space and he gave some pearls of wisdom around what works and doesn't work with kids. (Tara will write up the notes).
Culver City Library: Donna Mandosa is writing a grant to help Culver City Library open a perm space...not necessarily a makerspace, more a media space.
Forbes Post on Shop Classes being shutdown: Tara wrote a post "The Death of Shop Class And America's Skilled Workforce" Many shop class teachers in LAUSD are out of work and we should reach out to them and the schools who no longer have shop classes to offer group memberships to kids that need a place to work on projects.
Children at Home: Just 6%of Downtown residents had children under the age of 5 years living at home while 5% had children aged 5 to 18 living at home.
Among Downtown residents, 63% were likely to school their children near their residence, of which 21% chose a public school, 28%preferred a private school, and 14%elected a charter school.
New 12 acre park is being opened this summer between Bunker Hill and City Hall
Note: Tara sent an email to Hal Bastian, Senior Vice President & Director of Economic Dev. for DTLA asking where the kids and families are. Will update when a response is received.
501(c)(3)
In order for us to start taking donations we need 501(c)(3) status which typically takes at least 2 years. In order to speed things up we can use an existing organization with 501(c)(3) status as an umbrella until we achieve our status.
We hoped to use Crashspace but their paperwork won't be complete until the end of 2012.
We are reviewing Space Federation. Looks like a lot of paperwork and they take 10% of the donations. Levi is going to reach out to some other orgs.
Tara to ask Crashspace for their paperwork and start working on the 501c3
Teresa to find out how to use an umbrella 501c3
Someone mentioned that we could be an S Corp as a backup plan. Levi mentioned it was a pain converting Crashspace from S to 501c3.
Discussion around a blended model of being profit but basically operating without no profits.
Business Model Canvas Draft
Threw some numbers out there to start the conversation. We need to create a spreadsheet to crunch the numbers. Teresa and Michelle are interested in this task.
Jeff Sturges said that we should be able to keep the space open without doing anything, meaning that our memberships should maintain the space and we don't have to scramble to keep events and classes up in order to keep the space open. Costs:
Lease, insurance and utilities: $3000
2 Staff Members: $5000 ($15/hr)
Cleaners: $300
etc.
Monthly Memberships prices (just ideas...):
One Parent + 1 Kid = $99
Additional Kid = $29
1 Kid (13+) = $49
24x7 access (18+ only and after 3 months of membership): $149
Events
Classes: various
Example: After equipment and materials were purchased, we would break even with 30 memberships at $99. That doesn't take into account maintenance or if we have staff.
Goal / Mission
We discussed what the goals for the space are. The distinction was made between targeting Maker Families vs. Kids. Tara said that her hope is that we get lots of Maker families into the space but then the emphasis is on kids. Anyone that plans to come to the space needs to happily be aware that kids will be there.
Space Usage
Discussion around what the space will be used for. Sarah and Tara are going to work on some floorplan layouts so that we all have a visual of what we think the ideal space will look like. This will aid us when we are looking at leases.
Open area for building stuff, events and classes
Babysitting area
Clean vs Dirty (Computers vs Tools and Heavy Equipment)
Noisy vs Non-noisy
Big Parking space can be part of outdoor space
Reception: Sign-in and Curated Gallery of stuff people made and are selling
Kitchen- Needs to be a "break room" so we don't require inspectors
Bathroom. A big trough along an outside wall would be good for kids.
Space Size and Additional Requirements
We determined that with the needs of the space that the minimum size required is 2000 sq ft. We need to be aware of fire code regulations and policies around the number of sq ft per kid (25 sq ft?). Max. Occupancy
It must be on the ground floor.
A roll-up door would be nice but can be added.
If there is a parking lot some of it can be used as the outdoor space.
Within 10 miles of a hospital
Create a map of the people in the meetup group to see where everyone lives (might help us determine where space should be)
Outreach
Invite Groups to do meetups at the space. E.g citizen science clubs, RC Kit clubs, etc.
Schools looking for a space to work on projects
Reach out to shop class teachers
Safety/Training
With kids, safety is of upmost concern. There should always be someone in the space that is trained on the equipment and knows CPR
We'll do a field trip to Crashspace and get some training on the equipment. Tara will set it up.
At our space no one can use the equipment without first getting training. And depending on the age, can't use it without supervision.
Events
Look into Stage Craft as something we do at the space (Sarah knows how to do costuming)
Create Pre-Space Events to get community interest
MONDAY, MAY 14TH, 7:00PM
RSVP for upcoming working group meeting on May 30th here: awe.sm/5qRgK
Attendees
Name
Super Power
Tara Brown
ProjectManagement
Networking/Outreach
Kent Nichols
Filmmaking
Sarah Nichols
Classroom Management / Using Spaces
Christefano
Web/Drupal/Has a coworking space
Nirvan
Filmmaking/Creative digital community building
Luz Rivas
Community Outreach
Harley
Real Estate / Production
Jeremy
C / Microcontroller ASM / Electronics
Candice
Library Perspective / I will bring the teens
Travis
Education / Curriculum / Class Management
Michelle Turner
Business Operations / Eco
Teresa
Brick & Mortar Business / Education
Bryan
TBD
Levi
Grant Writing / Runs a student research lab
Stacie
Peer-mentoring, chemistry teacher, restauranteur
Carlo
Development / Developer awareness
Scott
Process & Systems / Engineer, Design
Missing Super Powers:
Legal
Safety & Liability Expert
Permits/Space Expert
Timing Is Everything
Everyone is gung-ho, losing momentum is not an option. Do or don't do, there is no try. Etc.
Non kid-friendly makerspaces have easily got up and running in 3 months. The group consensus was to get up and running in 6 months because there are more hurdles to deal with in terms of insurance, permits, legal etc. because we are going to welcome kids under 18.
That One Thing...
Everyone listed the one thing that they think is important to have in the space when we open:
Babysitting area for little kids
Circuit Board Lab
Computers (Lab)
Eco Friendly
Electronic Kits (Arduino)
Greater than 25 sqft/person
Green Screen Studio
Green Space
High Ceiling and Roll up door
Web Hosting / Some way for kids to share their projects
Near to Mass Transit (aka train)
Parking (x2)
Physical Play Area
Roof with slip n slide and trampoline
Safe Neighborhood
White Boards and Markers
Location Location Location
Everyone got to choose a location that they want the space to be in. DTLA won out, but we continued to discuss if and where the kids are in LA. Sarah and Kent said they moved out of LA because none of their friends wanted to visit them. Contrast that with Harley who has lived in DTLA for 10 years. Candice and Luz are going to provide data on where the kids are in LA. Candice mentioned that kids from all over come to Central Library for events. Broad Museum is going to open on Grand Ave soon.
DTLA (x7)
Eastside (x3)
Lincoln Heights
Mid City (x2)
Red Line
Close to Public Transit
Mobile Bus
Santa Monica (westside)
Wherever our ideal clients are
Where's the Money?
We discussed how we can raise some money. Teresa, Michelle and Kent feel very strongly that we come up with a business plan. Tara suggested that we start with a business model canvas as per Steve Blank. He has a fabulous book btw that I have in my possession and it applies to brick and mortar startups.
We have a lot of options to raise some money to open the doors and then to keep the doors open.
Events
Donors/Sponsors
Pre-sell Memberships
Kickstarter and other Crowdfunding sources to buy equipment
Grants
...
Action Items
Item
Owner
Due Date
Status
Create Wiki to share info
Levi
May 15th
Complete
Add Business Model Canvas to Wiki
Tara
May18th
Complete
Post data on where the kids are in DTLA
Luz & Candice
Before May 29th
Complete
Post 501c3 Info & insurance from Theron at Crashspace
Tara
When he sends it to me
On-going
Post next meetup on May 30th
Tara
May 15th
Complete
Find a location for the next meetup (Christefano offered droplabs)
MONDAY, JULY 17TH, 7:30PM - 9:30PM
RSVP for Working Group Meetup #6 on July 31st that will be at the Natural History Museum!1) Welcome new members to the working group (Tara)
2) Housekeeping
3) Review action items from June 25th (All)
4) Review Fiscal Sponsor prospects Home and Community and New Roads
5) Review Grant List (Levi and Tara)
7) Review Sponsor Ideas (Tara)
8) Schedule next pop-up event
9) Decide on next meeting date/time/location
Attendees
Networking/Outreach / Parent
New Members
Cassy Clarke, Michael Wilson and Sabrina Williams joined us. Welcome!Housekeeping
Cassy put us in touch with documentary filmmakers and they will be filming at the Scratch event on July 28th.Fiscal Sponsorship
Joe from New Roads has to answer our questions by July 25th with a letter of intentJuly 26th we'll send out info on what they provide and make a decision by July 31st
NEW ROADS
Contact - Joe Wise
-0%
Don't need public acknowledgement
Won't put name on lease
Don't care about curriculum
Insurance - they are researching
Screening (Live TB test)
- someone in space needs to be present
what's in it for them? Outreach
HOME AND COMMUNITY
Contact: Sabrina
4, 6, 7% (sliding scale)
4% taken from donations
One year contract
Manage of Documents (1-90 forms annually)
Financial tracking
Paypal and Amazon
Anti-discrimination platforms
501c3 Paperwork
Sabrina has applied for over 30 nonprofits and the outset is 6 months to process.She charges $250 + government fees.
Tara is willing to put money towards this...anyone else? The money will count against membership fees.
Partner Locations
LA TRADE TECH (community college)Contact: Levi
Between Staples Center and USC
Levi spoke to the VP and we might be able to use their space
After school during week / weekends
We can use their equipment
Might be able to utilize some of their instructors
Rent?
What about young kids
Review Grant List
Knight Foundation- almost done. Focus is on Citizen Science
Cognizant
- will work on next
USC UNO (University Neighborhood Outreach)
Need a staff partner + community person to apply
Look at due dates (might be Feb)
Review Sponsor Ideas
Before we approach sponsors:Need Budget trimmed down
- Michelle and Teresa
Need Business Plan
- Michelle and Teresa
Scheduled Pop Up Events
At each event we need a donation jarWe need to always mention LA Makerspace at each event
July 28th - Scratch class for 4-11 year olds
Aug. 11th - Quin is teaching a Beginners Arduino Class
Potential Pop Up Events
3D Unity class with USC CinemaScratch with Ricarose (August)
Ice Cream Social (make ice cream using liquid nitrogen and a container made of plastic origami) -- Levi will talk to his wife about leading this event
Fire….
eTextiles
Woodworking Bus (Joe will look into)
Next Meeting
July 31st, 6:30pm at Natural History MuseumAction Items
MONDAY, JUNE 25TH, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
1) Welcome new members to the working group (Tara)
2) Housekeeping
- Review LA Hack Jam
- Website (LAMakerspace.com)
3) Review action items from June 11th (All)
4) Review Home and Community docs for 501(c)(3) filing and Fiscal Sponsorship
5) Review Revised Budget (Michelle and Teresa)
6) Review Grant List (Levi and Gabrielle)
7) Review Sponsor Ideas (Tara)
8) Schedule next pop-up event (Arduino?)
9) Decide on next meeting date/time/location
Attendees
Networking/Outreach / Parent
New Members
Sharon Lee (@culturebrain) joined us. Welcome Sharon!Housekeeping
The LA Youth Hack Jam was Kidtacular!! Blog Post here.The website is up but needs some love. Anyone? lamakerspace.com
MONDAY, JUNE 11TH, 6:30PM-8:30pm
Agenda
1) Welcome new members to the working group (Tara)2) Review Commercial Real Estate options
3) Housekeeping
- Cognizant Call
- Youth Hack Jam on June 23rd
- Crashspace demo day
4) Review action items from May 30th (All)
5) Review Budget (Michelle and Teresa)
6) Decide on next meeting date/time/location
Attendees
Networking/Outreach / Parent
Real Estate
George Gleason, Director, LA Realty PartnersGeorge did a review of the DTLA area and we are supposed to review the options and give him feedback
What are the regulations around having a space for kids, ADA Compliant. Levi.
Fire Code regulations: 52 sq ft/person for active lab space?? We are not officially a school. Levi can find out info from Wildwood Facilities
We might fall under light manufacturing
We are also interested in churches and schools and libraries and car lots.
One to three year minimum lease. It's a tenants market, there is a huge surplus of warehouse space in DT so we can probably get away with a year.
$4k including insurance and rent for 2000 sq ft seems reasonable.
Cognizant
Levi and Tara had a call with Kathryn in charge of EDU at CognizantThey give out $20-25k for programming and equipment
They may get more money to give out this year or for sure Jan 2013
They sent docs on applying for grant
Tara to give to Levi and Gabrielle
501(c)(3) Umbrella
Potential:Budget
Michelle and Theresa went over the budget. It is very comprehensive (Nice work!)We discussed scoping it down to determine what's needed to open the doors and start small with one or two programming events and public open times.
Action Items
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30TH, 7:00PM
RSVP for Working Group Meeting #3: Mon., June 11th, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Attendees
Networking/Outreach / Parent
Agenda
1) Welcome new members to the working group2) Housekeeping (Jeff Sturges, Central Library, Culver City Library, Forbes)
3) Review action items from first meeting (http://peerspace.wikispaces.com/)
- Data on DTLA Kid Community (Luz and Candice)
- Wiki for sharing info -- Invite those that haven't joined (Levi/Tara)
- Info on 501c3 (Tara/Teresa)
- Business Model Canvas Draft (Kent/Tara)
- Michelle: I'd love to connect w community leaders in the proposed/potential areas to determine if we'd be a good fit and viable. Also interested in a subgroup biz ops pow wow to solidify mission, costs, and funding. Finally, would like a brief on what "competitors" or inspiring similar businesses are doing right and wrong.
4) Discuss funding ideas and decide on first eventAction Items
- NewBlankets (Levi)
- Wildwood (Levi)
- New Roads (Levi)
- CommunityPartners.org -10% incl. accounting, insurance, coaching (Levi)
"We have license-exempt childcare since the moms and childcare room are on the premises."
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=
217635504357867303168.0004c1792df21417a9091
New Members
Andy and Joseph joined the meetup. Andy has his PhD in Cognitive Science and is planning to be a SAHD in Dec. Jeff is a SW Engineer at Idealab and is interested in opening a space in Pasadena.Housekeeping
Central Library: Tara met with Eva Mitnick, Acting Manager of Youth Services at the Central Library on Tues., May 29th. She works with Candice, a Teen Librarian that attended Working Group Mtg #1. They don't have a permanent space available but they are interested in pop-up events. Tara and Eva will continue the conversation. (Eva & I spoke later & discussed putting together a library taskforce to work on this project on the library's end. - Candice)Jeff Sturges, Mt Elliott Makerspace in Detroit: Jeff has been involved with hackerspaces for a longtime and is noted in the maker community for his makerspace in Detroit. Tara and Jeff chatted about the ideas for the LA space and he gave some pearls of wisdom around what works and doesn't work with kids. (Tara will write up the notes).
Culver City Library: Donna Mandosa is writing a grant to help Culver City Library open a perm space...not necessarily a makerspace, more a media space.
Forbes Post on Shop Classes being shutdown: Tara wrote a post "The Death of Shop Class And America's Skilled Workforce" Many shop class teachers in LAUSD are out of work and we should reach out to them and the schools who no longer have shop classes to offer group memberships to kids that need a place to work on projects.
Data on DTLA Kid Community
Luz found the following data:Downtown LA Demographic Studyhttp://www.downtownla.com/survey-2011-results.asp
- Total DTLA residents: 45,518
- Median Age: 33
- Median Income: $86k
- Children at Home: Just 6%of Downtown residents had children under the age of 5 years living at home while 5% had children aged 5 to 18 living at home.
- Among Downtown residents, 63% were likely to school their children near their residence, of which 21% chose a public school, 28%preferred a private school, and 14%elected a charter school.
- New 12 acre park is being opened this summer between Bunker Hill and City Hall
- Broad Museum is opening on Grand Ave.
New 12 Acre "Grand Park" between Bunker Hill and Civic Center opens Summer 2012Blog by Susana Benavidez "Life as a Parent in DTLA"DTLA With Kids MapDTLA Elementary Schools
Candice found the following data:
Article that discusses Families in DTLA
Many parents bring their families to the Central Library in downtown LA on Saturdays for weekly programs in the Children's Literature department (puppet shows) and the Taper Auditorium (paid performers.) The programs are so popular, they routinely have to turn families away because of occupancy/fire code limitations.
Note: Tara sent an email to Hal Bastian, Senior Vice President & Director of Economic Dev. for DTLA asking where the kids and families are. Will update when a response is received.
501(c)(3)
In order for us to start taking donations we need 501(c)(3) status which typically takes at least 2 years. In order to speed things up we can use an existing organization with 501(c)(3) status as an umbrella until we achieve our status.We hoped to use Crashspace but their paperwork won't be complete until the end of 2012.
We are reviewing Space Federation. Looks like a lot of paperwork and they take 10% of the donations. Levi is going to reach out to some other orgs.
Tara to ask Crashspace for their paperwork and start working on the 501c3
Teresa to find out how to use an umbrella 501c3
Someone mentioned that we could be an S Corp as a backup plan. Levi mentioned it was a pain converting Crashspace from S to 501c3.
Discussion around a blended model of being profit but basically operating without no profits.
Business Model Canvas Draft
Threw some numbers out there to start the conversation. We need to create a spreadsheet to crunch the numbers. Teresa and Michelle are interested in this task.Jeff Sturges said that we should be able to keep the space open without doing anything, meaning that our memberships should maintain the space and we don't have to scramble to keep events and classes up in order to keep the space open.
Costs:
Lease, insurance and utilities: $3000
2 Staff Members: $5000 ($15/hr)
Cleaners: $300
etc.
Monthly Memberships prices (just ideas...):
One Parent + 1 Kid = $99
Additional Kid = $29
1 Kid (13+) = $49
24x7 access (18+ only and after 3 months of membership): $149
Events
Classes: various
Example: After equipment and materials were purchased, we would break even with 30 memberships at $99. That doesn't take into account maintenance or if we have staff.
Goal / Mission
We discussed what the goals for the space are. The distinction was made between targeting Maker Families vs. Kids. Tara said that her hope is that we get lots of Maker families into the space but then the emphasis is on kids. Anyone that plans to come to the space needs to happily be aware that kids will be there.Space Usage
Discussion around what the space will be used for. Sarah and Tara are going to work on some floorplan layouts so that we all have a visual of what we think the ideal space will look like. This will aid us when we are looking at leases.Open area for building stuff, events and classes
Babysitting area
Clean vs Dirty (Computers vs Tools and Heavy Equipment)
Noisy vs Non-noisy
Big Parking space can be part of outdoor space
Reception: Sign-in and Curated Gallery of stuff people made and are selling
Kitchen- Needs to be a "break room" so we don't require inspectors
Bathroom. A big trough along an outside wall would be good for kids.
Space Size and Additional Requirements
We determined that with the needs of the space that the minimum size required is 2000 sq ft.We need to be aware of fire code regulations and policies around the number of sq ft per kid (25 sq ft?). Max. Occupancy
It must be on the ground floor.
A roll-up door would be nice but can be added.
If there is a parking lot some of it can be used as the outdoor space.
Within 10 miles of a hospital
Create a map of the people in the meetup group to see where everyone lives (might help us determine where space should be)
Outreach
Invite Groups to do meetups at the space. E.g citizen science clubs, RC Kit clubs, etc.Schools looking for a space to work on projects
Reach out to shop class teachers
Safety/Training
With kids, safety is of upmost concern. There should always be someone in the space that is trained on the equipment and knows CPRWe'll do a field trip to Crashspace and get some training on the equipment. Tara will set it up.
At our space no one can use the equipment without first getting training. And depending on the age, can't use it without supervision.
Events
Look into Stage Craft as something we do at the space (Sarah knows how to do costuming)Create Pre-Space Events to get community interest
MONDAY, MAY 14TH, 7:00PM
RSVP for upcoming working group meeting on May 30th here: awe.sm/5qRgK
Attendees
Networking/Outreach
Missing Super Powers:
Legal
Safety & Liability Expert
Permits/Space Expert
Timing Is Everything
Everyone is gung-ho, losing momentum is not an option. Do or don't do, there is no try. Etc.Non kid-friendly makerspaces have easily got up and running in 3 months. The group consensus was to get up and running in 6 months because there are more hurdles to deal with in terms of insurance, permits, legal etc. because we are going to welcome kids under 18.
That One Thing...
Everyone listed the one thing that they think is important to have in the space when we open:Babysitting area for little kids
Circuit Board Lab
Computers (Lab)
Eco Friendly
Electronic Kits (Arduino)
Greater than 25 sqft/person
Green Screen Studio
Green Space
High Ceiling and Roll up door
Web Hosting / Some way for kids to share their projects
Near to Mass Transit (aka train)
Parking (x2)
Physical Play Area
Roof with slip n slide and trampoline
Safe Neighborhood
White Boards and Markers
Location Location Location
Everyone got to choose a location that they want the space to be in. DTLA won out, but we continued to discuss if and where the kids are in LA. Sarah and Kent said they moved out of LA because none of their friends wanted to visit them. Contrast that with Harley who has lived in DTLA for 10 years. Candice and Luz are going to provide data on where the kids are in LA. Candice mentioned that kids from all over come to Central Library for events. Broad Museum is going to open on Grand Ave soon.DTLA (x7)
Eastside (x3)
Lincoln Heights
Mid City (x2)
Red Line
Close to Public Transit
Mobile Bus
Santa Monica (westside)
Wherever our ideal clients are
Where's the Money?
We discussed how we can raise some money. Teresa, Michelle and Kent feel very strongly that we come up with a business plan. Tara suggested that we start with a business model canvas as per Steve Blank. He has a fabulous book btw that I have in my possession and it applies to brick and mortar startups.We have a lot of options to raise some money to open the doors and then to keep the doors open.
Events
Donors/Sponsors
Pre-sell Memberships
Kickstarter and other Crowdfunding sources to buy equipment
Grants
...
Action Items